Easy DIY Platform Bird Feeder

Did you know that February is National Bird Feeder Month? I suppose it’s because our tiny feathered friends have a harder time finding food in the coldest months…and we’ve had some cold months! While I can’t do anything about the weather, I can try to make a small difference  in my own back yard…making this little bird feeder made me feel 2 things…happy that I could give our little birds more food this winter and hopeful that spring’s on the way…

With that in mind I thought it would be fun to find a really easy DIY bird feeder…

And then add a little paint and hardware to make it pretty, ’cause we can see our bird feeders from the house so being pretty is all the better!

I saw this one from Home Depot and thought it doesn’t get much easier than this! (This one is $25.00!)

I think mine’s cuter and it’s a little cheaper…

Here’s What Ya Need:

 Ingredients:

*Screen (Use Aluminum Screen)
*Wood (I used 1 X4s)
*Chain for hanging
*Decorative Hardware(I got mine at Hobby Lobby when it was 50% off!)
*Wood Screws
*Staple Gun
*Paint
*Wood Glue
*Outdoor clear acrylic

Instructions:

Cut 4 piece of wood to desired length- decide how big you want your box to be…
-Drill starter holes in the corners of 2 pieces of wood…(this helps when putting the wood together)
-Add wood glue to one side of the wood…
-Put the sides together two at a time – you will glue & screw to secure the box…
-When box is put together…sand the edges and corners and sides…
-Paint the box – I used two or three colors layered…I always keep a supply of my favorite colors of Americana DecoArt paint and mix them to make just the right color for my projects…
-After layering the colors – I let it dry, then sand a little to give a shabby finish.
-Since my bird feeder will be outside I paint on 2 coats of outdoor acrylic for protection
-Add the hardware
-Screw four lengths of chain to each corner and using an S hook connect the 4 chains in the center…
-Staple 2 layers of the screen to the bottom and trim…
-add another length of chain to the S hook – the 2nd length of chain will attach the feeder to a shepherds hook or tree branch…
Hang your feeder and fill with seed for your little friends!

Cut wood into 4 pieces- to desired length …

Make starter holes to 2 pieces of wood

Add glue to those pieces…

Now glue and screw your box together…

Sand the box on the edges and the sides…

Paint your box…I used 3 of my favorite Americana DecoArt colors …layering them…

When the paint was dry – I added 2 coats of outdoor clear sealer to protect the wood…

Then we added the pretty hardware!

We had a helper in PopPops work room…

Screw the chain on the four corners…

Add a double layer of screen and staple in place…

Trim the screen…

Where the 4 chains come together, add an S hook and attach a small piece of chain to the other side of the S hook…this small piece will connect the entire feeder to the shepherds hook or tree branch…

The birds took about 24 hours to come flocking to this new feeder …now they love it!

***You know, this would make a great Mother’s Day gift for the Bird-Loving Mom!***

I made another feeder a few years ago…you might like this one! DIY Instructions HERE…

And HERE is an easy recipe for a few treats for your bird friends~

Do you feed your backyard birds in the winter? If you do, what kind of feeder do you use?

xo

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